


Lunch Date

by lachoy



Series: Inked [2]
Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-27 20:09:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5062378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lachoy/pseuds/lachoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neku had wanted to take this chance to tell her about his career choice but the more he sees Shiki, the more he thinks she might need to talk. His conversation about his goals for the future can wait. His friend needs a shoulder.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lunch Date

“Hey!” Shiki smiles as she sits down in the seat across from Neku. “Haven't been able to talk to you much lately. Thanks for inviting me for lunch. I've missed you.”

Neku was about to reply to her when a waitress walked up to greet them. Menus in hand, Neku tries again to speak as he looks over his options. “Been pretty busy, huh? Are you still going for university?”

Shiki's face takes on a tight look. Obviously she isn't too pleased by this subject and Neku wonders about changing it but she speaks too quickly.“Mm, my mom would appreciate it if I tried for schooling instead of just depending on me and Eri going solely for fashion. I can't really blame her, but it's bugging Eri a little. She says it's like I don't believe in us,” she murmurs and Neku frowns because he knows that tone of voice. He likes Eri well enough. Not that he'd consider her a friend because he doesn't like her that much. When Shiki had tried to act like her, Neku hadn't been able to really stomach her and even if he's much better with social interaction? Eri can still grate on him.

And he knows that she is much more talking and action than thinking and planning. Sometimes she does things that hurt Shiki despite her best intentions and it doesn't help that Shiki takes things to heart. Right now Shiki's just trying to stay good with her parents and Neku gets it. He just hopes Eri understands before she puts too much pressure on Shiki. It's already starting if her quiet mood means anything and Shiki doesn't need it on both sides.

Neku had wanted to take this chance to tell her about his career choice but the more he sees Shiki, the more he thinks she might need to talk. His conversation about his goals for the future can wait. His friend needs a shoulder.

“Is something up?” Neku asks and again, as if this waitress has been trained to have the worst timing ever, she asks for their orders. Shiki is smiling as she places her order but once the waitress leaves, a serious look replaces the polite smile she was offering before.

“Can I tell you something? I've been wanting to tell you since it happened and I mean, I have to tell Beat. At some point. I don't know when I'll tell him and I don't want to leave him out, but --”

“Shiki.” Neku interrupts her rambling and he puts his hand out to touch her wrist. “Think about Beat later. Whatever you have to say, I think it needs to get out sooner than later. So spill it. What's going on?”

She takes a deep breath and adjusts her glasses before taking another breath. “I don't know how to really say this. I.” She looks around and leans forward, her eyes silently asking Neku to do the same which he does. “I'm sort of dating Eri.”

Neku just stares. “Um.” Shiki's eyes take on almost terrified look and Neku knows she must think he's one step away from not having anything to do with her. “It's okay. It's fine. I'm just surprised. I didn't think that's what you were going to tell me,” he tries to sound comforting and not let on just how surprised he is. This really had not been on his mind. “Uh, so, how long? Congratulations?”

Shiki sits back in her chair and brushes her hair behind her ears. She's grown it out a bit, the ends a little past her shoulders now. “We started dating a month ago. But I think I've liked...them,” she says when a waitress walks by, scared that they'll hear. Once they're gone, Shiki relaxes a little. “For a long time. Before we ever met, Neku.”

Thinking back, maybe it shouldn't surprise him. He can remember how Shiki talked about her and then how Eri had talked about Shiki when Shiki had been dead. Now that the two are dating (or that Neku knows about it), maybe it was always obvious they had this in the back of their minds. That this was always hanging around them. How hard had it been to deal with this for three years? Especially if they had only recently started dating.

And he had never known. Shiki had always had this on her shoulders. Worried about her feelings, worried about what people might think. Neku frowns and it isn't very often he feels the need to do this with anybody, but right now he kind of wants to hug her. It's tempting to ask her if she wants one.

“Are you happy?” he asks.

Shiki nods.

“Are you scared?”

Shiki nods faster and then laughs. “But I think I'm happier than I am scared. I'm just. My mom already doesn't like her. She thinks Eri's a bad influence on me. If she knows about Eri and I then she's going to think it's an idea Eri put into my mind. My mom always thinks it's Eri that makes me do things and I mean, Eri does push me. But it isn't a bad push! Eri is my bravery, I guess.”

“You're your own person. Eri couldn't make you do this if you didn't want it to. Your own mom should know that.” Shiki seems almost grateful to hear that if he can tell anything by her smile. “But you know, if you're happy then I'm happy. Corny, yeah, but's the truth and all.”

“Thanks, Neku. I was scared to tell anybody. I was scared you'd think I was gross or--”

“Shut up. Don't even go there. I wouldn't think that about you even if you were dating someone ten times worse. I'd just be worried for you, but I'd never think anything bad about you. And whenever you tell Beat I'm sure it'll be just as cool. It's all cool.”

“I feel bad for doubting that. Like of course you wouldn't think that about me. I can't believe I'd ever think you would.”

“No offense taken.” Neku shrugs and takes a sip of the water they were given. “Mind does things like that. We all think things. Can't be rational all the time.”

Shiki changes the subject pretty quickly after that and Neku thinks it's probably because they're in public. It's not something you want people to overhear and Neku doesn't really know what else to say. He kind of worries he might have been insensitive or not supportive enough. But three years later and this friendship thing is still kind of new to him. There's plenty of times Shiki and Beat have to slap him (figuratively) to get him to realize he's pulling a stupid stunt or not being as good a friend as he should be. They can talk later.

It's when they're halfway through their meal and through the small talk that Shiki brings up what he wanted to tell her about. Neku wonders if it's taking her thunder, though. Not that his announcement is as big a deal as Shiki's. Still, he doesn't want to take the stage from her if she still has things she wants to say.

“It can wait,” he decides.

“Neku,” Shiki says, frowning. “You invited me out for a reason. It wasn't just to catch up. You're not about that. It's always me who makes those meetings. What did you have to say?”

Neku goes over it in his mind for a bit until he decides that he will just spit it out. “I want to become a tattoo artist.”

Shiki blinks. “Why?”

“I guess I just want to help send a message out. Someone told me once you can't understand anybody, but I think tattoos can help fix that. Every time you see one, you know what that person's all about, don't you? Or you can see what tattoo was meant to say. It's a message to the whole world.”

“That's an amazing way to think about it, but...Neku, people are going to think you're part of a gang or something. Are you sure?”

Neku knows Shiki's just looking out for him. Shiki's a worrier even if she tries not to and Neku can appreciate it. She is telling him this out of friendly concern. “Completely. It's art, it's doing something I believe in, and it'd make me happy. I'm serious about this. I've looked into it and everything. I'm putting together my portfolio as we speak.”

“You need to do that?”

“It's like any other art job. I need to show my stuff, but then I have to find someone who will take me on as an apprentice. That's the tricky part. But I'm searching.” Neku takes a sip of the water he ordered and looks at Shiki a little sheepishly. “So…?”

“I can't say I'm too sure about all of this, but you support me and so I support you. Partners, right?”

Neku grins. “Partners.”

Shiki smiles back and laughs. “They do say what you want isn't always easy.”

“Hell no.”

“But worth it,” Shiki finishes.

“Hell yes.”

And it probably helps to have a good support system along the way.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I am 90% sure that Neku wouldn't like Eri, but would put up with her since she is Shiki's best friend. And girlfriend. Hee hee.


End file.
